1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to disinfection and, in particular, to disinfection of lavatories. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for disinfecting lavatories on vehicles using far-ultraviolet radiation.
2. Background
Pathogens may be spread between humans, between animals, or between humans and animals in many different ways. Consequently, there is an increasing need for the disinfection or sterilization of public areas and public spaces, particularly enclosed areas and spaces. As one example, a single aircraft may fly to multiple destinations on the same day. These destinations may include, for example, different airports, airstrips, or airfields in the same state, in different states, or in different countries. Any number of passengers and crewmembers may get on and off this single aircraft between flights. Further, the passengers and crewmembers onboard the aircraft during a single flight may be a diverse group coming from different backgrounds and environments. These conditions create the potential for the spread of pathogens onboard an aircraft.
One possible source for the spread of pathogens onboard an aircraft is inside the lavatory of the aircraft. Currently, the lavatories inside aircraft are cleaned manually. For example, one or more crewmembers or service personnel may clean the lavatories inside an aircraft between flights. Typically, disinfectant sprays, aerosols, or other types of cleaning solutions are used to disinfect surfaces. However, some of these materials may result in an undesired coating of material being left on the surfaces. The time required to dissipate certain types of aerosols or sprays may be longer than desired. Further, certain types of disinfectant materials may have odors that may be undesirable to some people.
Additionally, this type of manual disinfection of these lavatories may be more time-consuming than desired, may not be as effective as desired, or both. In some situations, performing this type of manual disinfection during flight may not be desirable or even feasible. Therefore, there may be a need for a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.